Danger Close
by HomestuckWhovianInAPokeball
Summary: ((Note: The rating is only 'M' because of Karkat's well-known foul language. I figured multiple f-bombs kind of bumped this from 'T' to 'M'. Also has mild violence in the later chapters.)) In which Karkat is a Sheriff and Terezi's a blind PI. They have to work on a serial killer case together, using whatever they can. Also includes the help of the sassy tech genius Sollux Captor.
1. Chapter 1

Terezi Pyrope was not happy. She was _really_ not happy. And she didn't bother to try and hide it, either. Why was she unhappy? Because there were cops swarming her latest case and tainting the scent of everything. So as she walked through the police station – no one even _tried_ to stop her, they gave up on that a while ago – she made sure to tap her cane along the floor as obnoxiously as possible.

Hopefully the Sheriff would understand that she wasn't pleased with his men and she was coming to complain to him about it. When she gets to the door she stops, takes a breath, then whacks it repeatedly with her cane, shouting out, "Vantas! Open this door, you have some explaining to do!"

And then she quickly covers up her annoyance, her face blank and emotionless – her typical professional look. She wasn't going to give the angry ball of fury and hatred the pleasure of her being disheveled and upset.

Karkat Vantas _had_ in fact heard her, his first response to the banging being a groan. He didn't know _why_ she was here, he just wanted her to go away. With another groan and a roll of his eyes, he opens the door to glare at the blind PI. Well, she certainly didn't seem happy. It was obvious she was trying to hide it, though.

Great. "How did you get in here, Pyrope?! I thought I told them to keep nosy PIs OUT." He's pretty pissed off, too.

But that's just how he always is.

Immediately she's got that wide grin that she _knows_ pisses him off. Unnaturally sharp teeth and everything. And to add to it, she taps along his legs with her cane. "I'm the best there is, Vantas! Of course I'll find a way in!" Okay, so it was more like the other officers had just given up on stopping her, but those were just little details."Now, I want your goons out of my crime scene and off my case! They're messing it all up!" Her grin falters for a moment, her cane connecting rather harshly with his knee.

No, bad Pyrope, calm down. She clenches her cane tightly, forcing herself to relax more, her grin more forced than before.

Karkat wasn't amused by her shenanigans, rubbing his knee and glaring at her. "Who the fuck said it was YOUR case?! I'll do as I damn well like and no blind girl is going to tell me how to do my job differently!" He didn't even know what case she was _talking_ about, but based on past experiences he didn't really need to know. Her 'cases' often clashed with the work of the _actual_ cops and she was always getting in his face about it.

That was about what their relationship was, and he did _not_ enjoy it. Especially because she always seemed to get off on his pain and anger. "What do you even mean by 'they're messing it up'?! You'd probably just sit there and lick the damn thing anyways! I'm not changing SHIT, Pyrope!"

He was probably the only one in the station to know about her little disability. How did he know? He's seen her eyes. Her glasses were terrifying enough – Who the hell wore pointed sunglasses with _red lenses?_ – but her eyes were even freakier. They explained why her shades were red, though.

He's brought back to the situation on hand when she gives his leg another whack, her other hand removing a file from seemingly nowhere. Terezi prided herself on having lots of different places to hide things, just in case it was ever necessary. Such as whipping a portion of a case file out while drubbing the Sheriff. You know, the important things.

"This says that it's _my_ case. I was hired _specifically_ to do the job, and I won't let any kind of so-called _cop_ interfere with the way I do things." Maybe she was a little too hostile towards them, but she couldn't exactly help it. If they wouldn't let her join the force because of a disability most people didn't even _know_ she had, then they could deal with her working on her own cases in her own way.

Her playfulness is gone – it was strained in the first place – and she gives his side a whack. Enough to sting, but not to actually leave any kind of bruise. Assaulting an officer wasn't something she wanted on her record. "Move your boys or I'll do it myself."

With an annoyed growl, he tries to grab the cane, wanting it _out_ of her grip. "Well THIS is assault, WE were called to the scene of the crime, and I'M not letting you mess this shit up without some sort of assistance from the force to make sure you don't COMPLETELY MESS EVERYTHING UP."

His face was beet red at this point, already fed up with her even though it's only been a minute or two. He was always quick to anger, but this girl just knew EXACTLY what pissed him off. Her grin is back, a little more sadistic than before, and she easily pulls her cane back to her. No way was she letting him get it.

"What, will you charge me? Besides, I have never _once_ messed up on a case. If this one gets fucked up, it's on you. Do you know how many times I've been commissioned for a case that you badge boys couldn't figure out?"

"And do you know how many times I've been given shit by my superiors for letting a nosy little investigator do my job for me?!" His hostility was draining, slowly coming to realize there was no way he was winning this.

Sensing him slowly giving in, she grinned some more, allowing herself to feel victorious.

And then it turned into something filled with a fake kind of sweetness, the kind that she would always send to criminals when she knew she had them. "Then maybe if you did a better job, you wouldn't have a 'nosy little investigator' doing your job for you." She gave his arm a gentle papping with her cane. It wasn't that she was trying to make it up to him for her earlier abuse. Oh no, she was just trying to make him think that. "So does that mean you'll tell your men to back off?"

"On one condition, Pyrope." Karkat grins this time; she wasn't going to let her get away with things that easily. Her eyes narrowed for a second, not liking where this was going. Karkat Vantas, grinning? That couldn't be a good sign.

Especially since it just smelled so unnatural on him. Grumpiness and anger suit him _much_ better. But she forces herself to straighten out and put on the sweetness and sugar again, not willing to bow down to him. That wasn't something Pyropes did. "And what's that, Vantas?" Her voice has the same faked sweetness as her smile, but she doubts he'll notice. He doesn't seem to notice much, actually. Not unless it's really obvious.

"If you're not letting THEM in on this, you're at least letting ME in. You better fucking appreciate I'm taking time out of my own busy schedule to help with this case." She doubted he was very busy. He certainly didn't _seem_ the type to be busy.

But she had an idea. A way to at least get that grin off his face. A way to put him back in his place, so to speak. Her grin creeped back, slowly widening, and she leaned towards him on her cane. "Aw, does the Sheriff want to get closer to the nosy PI? How cute, he's too shy to even ask her on a date!" And then she lets loose a cackle, straightening out just so she can tap his legs with her cane. "Fine, but you're following my rules on this. Got that, Vantas?"

Karkat seemed completely shocked by this; his face went red and he took an involuntary step back. Or was it voluntary? No, definitely involuntary. As much as he was terrified of her and her insanity, he wasn't one to back down. "Shut up, okay?!" Oh yes, Terezi was very much pleased with this reaction. "It's my job to make sure you don't completely fuck shut up here, it's nothing more and never WILL be."

He's been telling himself that for a while now. For the past few months he's found his thoughts wandering to the psychopathic blind PI that felt the urge to just stomp all over him whenever one of their cases collided. There was no _way_ he was developing a crush on the one person that annoyed him more than himself. Nope. No way.

To take out some of his anger, he kicks at the cane, muttering curses under his breath.

He hated her cane, and she knew it. She took pleasure in annoying the fuck out of him with it, they _both_ knew that. Karkat adds the cane to the mental list of things he hated, which he had lovingly named the Shit List.

Inanimate object or not, it was on the Shit List.

Terezi's been taking pleasure in his obvious frustration and anger, cackling away. "Now, now, angry little Vantas. No need to be so violent about your denial." She calms down, just grinning at him now. To keep her cane from getting kicked from her grip, she pulls it back towards her, keeping it close. She takes a few seconds of silence – Karkat's too busy seething and muttering to notice the quiet – to take in the delicious red of his face.

"Maybe if you'd stop being such a grump I may actually fall for you."

Karkat decided it would be a very good idea to ignore that.

"Are you going to fill me in on what happened or not, Pyrope?!" Okay, so he was still pretty pissed and angry, having issues with calming himself down.

He's always had issues with that.

She never made it any easier, either.

"Hehehe, calm down and I may." She pauses, debating, then adds, "Karkles," with a wide grin. She had come up with this name when their first run-in happened – a rather simple kidnapping case, almost right after she started being a private investigator. Since then, she'd use it on a rare occasion when he would piss her off or when she just wanted to smell that delicious red she brought out.

His teeth grit together, hard enough to make his jaw ache. He has never been a fan of the nickname. He thought the nickname was a piece of shit and deserved to be with the cane on the Shit List. The thing was _stupid_ and it made him sound like a little fucking kid. "Hurry up already, I'm not waiting much longer, and that's Officer Vantas to you!" Or even KARKAT. My name is NOT Karkles. Get your shit right."

As she laughs – okay, cackles, it's a definite cackle, there's no way there's anything that can be _other_ than a cackle – she pulls out the other file for the case. From the same hidden area as before. Karkat wonders for just a moment where the hell she can hide those things on such a fucking _skinny_ frame, but he quickly loses interest. It's Terezi.

"Calm your shit, Karkles. Or should I call you _partner_ now?" She sends him a grin, taking her sweet time with this on purpose. He was quick to lose patience and she loved to just make his blood boil. It wasn't really anything against _him_, it was just amusing. And in her profession, she'll take any kind of amusement she can get. It was fun and interesting and all, but sometimes... Sometimes she wondered what was underneath that hateful exterior.

But those 'sometimes' never really lasted too long. Especially when he would say things like, "I don't care. Go ahead. It'd be better than fucking KARKLES." Whenever things like that happened, she'd immediately lose interest in knowing the deeper side of him.

Karkat was tempted to snatch the file from her and read it himself, but he knew that would just be playing into her hands. Mainly because he didn't want to get whacked with that fucking cane again. He sent the piece of shit a glare. If it had a face he was sure it'd be glaring right back.

"Karkles it is!" That grin was always creepy. Sometimes Karkat thought she forced it to be that terrifying. But then he realized it was Terezi fucking Pyrope. She doesn't have to be terrifying, she just _is_. And those canines of hers looked like something he would want to avoid. She made a show of opening the case file, even though it was pretty much useless because not only did she have the entire thing memorized, she was _blind_. As in, unable to read it. But that doesn't mean she wasn't able to sniff the ink off the page and know what it said.

"Female, Asian, early twenties, around twenty-three. She was found stabbed in the chest once-" She stops talking to touch a place just above her heart, indicating where the stab was, "-and in the stomach once." Her hand goes to tap a spot just above her belly button. "It's obvious the killer wanted her to suffer, but not for too long. The cause of death was massive blood loss. She was found a few hours after death by a neighbor a floor above her. He says he's a close friend, and that they were supposed to be going somewhere. He didn't specify whether it was a date or not. The girl's father has been notified, but he says he apparently cannot come down for two weeks. That's not nearly soon enough to help us with anything. And that's about all the info we've got right now. No prints, no evidence, no videos. The apartment has a security tape of the lobby, but so many visitors come and go it'd be nearly impossible to pick out the killer, but they're still sending me the video for the timeframe."

Terezi's demeanor changes as she talks, going from a giddy and overly grinning little kid to an adult who knows play time's over and in the past. She's straightened out and looking down at the file, her grin gone, not even leaving a ghost or a trace of its previous existence.

She's determined to solve this case, cop interference or not.

This kind of change was always a shock to Karkat, but he's started to get at least a _little_ used to it. But it was a good kind of change. "Fucking... lovely. Last week there was another crime like this, I don't know if someone told you about it. This may be a serial killer case in the making on our hands, and if it is, this guy's gonna strike again and we need to figure out WHEN he's going to do this before he DOES."

They weren't little kids fucking around in the playground, this was serious shit. No more cat and mouse. And Karkat was planning on shoving this case's face into the ground and laughing at it's defeat.

Okay.

So maybe he wasn't going to do that.

But it made him feel better to think about.

Terezi wasn't as one-minded as Karkat was about this. She was currently fighting between a grin and a frown. She's never had a serial killer case before – hell, she's only had a few murders, and most of those turned out to be abductions made to seem like murders – and that was _exhilarating_. But then it was also a _serial killer_. Someone who kills for fun or just because they can. Kind of a really dangerous person.

"No, I was never told." The grin wins out, and it feels unnatural. It even _looks_ unnatural. At least to Karkat, he's so used to her grin. Her fingers drum along the head of her cane and she asks, "What was this other case? I need every detail possible."

If she could, she'd be looking him dead in the eyes.

But she settles on (hopefully) keeping her blind and dead eyes on his. Even though he probably couldn't tell because of her red-lensed shades. She will never _not_ think she has the most badass glasses in existence.

Unfortunately for her, she was looking at Karkat's neck. And it took him a while to realize exactly why she was looking there. Sometimes he forgot she was blind. Actually, he forgot a lot. "Uh, Pyrope?" Without really thinking it through, he slowly reached his hand out to gently tilt her head up, one finger on the underside of her chin. Okay, _now_ she was at least looking in the right general area.

And now he can continue, not noticing the slight blushing from Terezi at the odd and unfamiliar touch. "It was the same scenario a couple days back – three, actually. Woman in her twenties got the shit stabbed out of her. Same places you mentioned, too. There was no note or evidence. She worked in the management department of a real nice hotel, except listen to this: for such a nice job she had pretty shitty living arrangements. Crappy little apartment on the complete opposite side of town as this other girl's place. Literally, I mean complete opposite. You could fucking draw a straight line between the places. This was either a coincidence or the guy's a God damn OCD symmetry freak." Being the skeptic about everything that he was, he didn't believe in coincidences.

She only barely manages to catch what he was saying, too busy berating herself for already losing her touch. So before she responds to the facts about the previous case, she pats her hands from his shoulders up, to get a better picture at about what his height was. "Damnit, when did you grow? You were shorter last I remembered." She's grumbling, a little put-off by such a late growth.

That was really going to mess with her. "I guess I've just reached a mid-life growth spurt or some shit like that." He's grinning, feeling just a little bit of pride at throwing her off. For once she actually seemed like a real blind person.

It was slightly weird.

But she had heard the change in his voice, so she pat and felt around his face until her fingers came across the grin. "Hehehe, apparently Karkles _can_ smile." And then she was back to professional, her fingers still exploring his features. It was a blind thing. "But shitty apartment may suggest that her money was going somewhere else. Drugs? Abusive boyfriend who demanded money? Perhaps a relative in need? And there's ethnicity as well… If she wasn't Asian, then the only connection is the straight line, female, and early twenties. Go grab that girl's file real quick, then we'll head to my office. I've got a few things sorted out for the more recent case. We may be able to find a connection."

Karkat was having a few issues with _not_ flinching away from her cold hands and weird touching. Blind. Gotta at least let her have _some_ freedom. "I'm not sure about ethnicity, I didn't ask too many questions, it was a different officer's problem, but I know where the file is. I'll go grab it."

"Well, go on. Go get it!" She pulls her hands away, at least partially done with 'seeing' his face, and taps his leg. It was light, a little on the playful side. "I'll be waiting here. I promise I won't go through your office." She grins wide, the smile gaining its usual sharpness and edge.

He just rolls his eyes, not even bothering to try and get rid of the cane. "Yeah, sure. Because I believe that. Just try not to fuck up my shit too bad while you're rummaging through it." With that, Karkat left the room, silently cursing himself for actually looking forward to a little alone time with the blind PI.

Terezi's grin just widens more and she immediately slips into his office. She wasn't planning on looking through any of his boring stuff – who would want to? – she just wanted to mess shit up. So while he was gone, she busied herself with pulling things out of their places and swapping things in files.

Then she sat herself down on his desk, cross-legged and grinning proudly.

When he came back, Karkat's first reaction was to twitch.

Fuck. This was going to take time to fix.

But instead of ranting, like he usually would've, he just dropped the file onto her lap. "There, happy? Now are we going? Can we get food? Jesus FUCK I'm hungry."

She keeps her grin as innocent as possible, doing her best to not burst into laughter. But her grin lost any traces of innocence when he mentioned the food, turning into a mischievous child's grin. "Hehehe, so I was right! This _is_ just some kind of ploy to get me on a date! Wow, Karkles, aren't you good with the ladies?" With a short cackle, she plucks the file from her lap and jumps off his desk, tucking it under her arm. "Well, alright then. I'm hungry, too. While you're driving us to wherever for food, I'll sniff this over."

"Wha- It doesn't- I don't-" He just gave up and sighed, knowing she wasn't going to listen to him. Face flushed red at the thought of going on a date with her, he gestured out the door, still holding it open. "Hurry up already."

With another laugh, she steps past him, swiping her tongue up his cheek. "Hehehe, tastes like I got the Sheriff to blush!" As she heads to the exit, she makes sure to obnoxiously tap her cane against anything she can reach. "Come along, Karkles!"

"Could you quit licking me?! It's weird, and do you even fucking need that thing?" He followed her, continuing to bitch and whine, not caring that she wasn't listening. Why was he even looking forward to this? Today was never going to end. He could tell by the grin she was sending him.

"No, I won't stop licking you. And yes, I need it, I'm _blind_. Now get that ass of yours into your car and take me to get some food." And with that, she gave his backside a light tap with her cane, still grinning wide. Oh yes, she was going to enjoy this partnership, she could already tell.

So long as things went well with the case.


	2. Chapter 2

His response is just a simple glare, shouting, "Stop hitting me with it, too! It isn't fucking funny!" But he gets into his car anyways. If she left a dent in his car with that cane, it was gone. No more cane. Because he loved this car.

Just to show off how much he loved it and how totally GREAT it was, he honked the horn. That and he just wanted to see her reaction. This could definitely be used against annoying Pyropes. Yes. Good defense. Very good defense.

She so wasn't going to buy it.

And she definitely didn't seem too fazed by it, either. But what he didn't know was that he had pretty thoroughly freaked her out. Her grip on the cane tightened and each muscle stiffened, but she refused to show how much he startled her.

No way was she going to let him know how much she hated loud and sudden noises.

So instead of saying anything about it, she casually slips into the passenger seat and buckles up. "Onwards, to our 'not a date'!" She grins wide at him, prods his arm just to mess with him (and maybe get back at him a little for that damned car horn), then buries her nose in the file. Once she was in the zone, pretty much nothing could bother her.

"Wait, you're wearing a seat-belt?!" He was staring at her, making a face. "Those are for wusses. We're ON THE JOB. We need to be able to jump out and kick some ass at any minute, you can't wear a SEATBELT."

Nothing except loud Karkats going on about… Seatbelts? Coming back to reality at his shouting, she raises an eyebrow at him. The Sheriff. _Sheriff_ being the keyword in that. And he was telling her to _not wear a seatbelt_. "We're just grabbing some food before going to my apartment. Besides, it's the _law_, Mr. Sheriff. So on the job or not, unless we're heading to some kind of shooting, I'm buckling up." She decides to end this with sticking out her tongue like the totally matured PI she is.

He just grumbles and starts up the car, not even bothering with responding to that. "Can we just get drive through or something? I don't want to waste anymore time than we have to here."

"Aw, but Karrrrklesssss! That's such a shiiiiitty date!" She whines at him, then grins. Oh yes, she was definitely going to enjoy this.

"You know WHAT?! I GIVE UP. What did YOU have in mind then?! And it's NOT. A DATE." Karkat clenched his hands on the steering wheel and grit his teeth, getting thoroughly fed up with her. His face was red again, but this time it was frustration and not embarrassment.

Angering him was always was too easy, he had an incredibly short fuse. Pretty much anything deserved to be yelled at, according to him.

"Hehehe, chill, Karkles. I'm just messing with you. Fast food sounds goods. I've gotta get up to date on this case, anyways." She taps the file sitting on her lap, grin a little less mischievous and sharp. "Now quit being all adorable and red! It makes me wanna piss you off more." The sharpness and edge is back to the grin, and her lips just stretch further. She wasn't kidding, either.

While most people would get angry back at him or just plain exasperated, Terezi Pyrope found it to be one of the most adorable things in the world.

At this point, Karkat had pretty much decided they were doing fast food anyways, and was already pulling into the drive through. "Just order or something." He had calmed down, but was still pretty stiff and tense. But there was no way he was going to let her get her sick pleasure from him. Nope.

"I'll take whatever, just shush. I'm reading." Her face is back in the file, her nose working in overdrive and a look of deep concentration set on her face. She had gone back into her little world, ignoring anything outside of the file and absorbing as much as she could from inside it.

Once again, Karkat felt a small tug on his face. Specifically the lip region. She was pretty cute when she was that concentrated. He wasn't even going to bother trying to deny it.

Instead of trying to come up with something fantastical, he just ordered a fuckton of chicken nuggets. Nobody could go wrong with chicken nuggets. There was no way she was going to be able to yell at him for chicken nuggets.

The nuggets made him invincible and yell-at-proof.

He decided to focus on the rest of the order and got a few sodas, not even bothering with thinking about what kinds she may or may not want. He also made sure to pay. Because what kind of shitty date would this be if he didn't pay for it?

A pretty terrible shitty date. That's what.

With the new food in the car and the aroma pretty much filling the entire thing, Terezi finds her nose straying from the file to sniff longingly at the air. Whenever this happens, she shakes her head and goes back to the file, determined to take in as much as she could.

God damnit, that was her stomach. Come on, Pyrope, ignore it and just go on with- Oh hey look. "Ethnicity isn't an issue, because this woman was Caucasian. But around the same age." Okay, so that was a bit of an issue. Because that wasn't a connection. And they seriously needed a connection.

Karkat had parked the car a while ago, wondering when she was going to realize. But when he heard her stomach growl, he wasted no time in shoving a nugget into her mouth while she was talking. "We've been at your place for a few minutes now you know." The drive from the drive through to her apartment hadn't been that long, they were pretty close. "Are you going to come enjoy your shitty excuse for a date or what?! Bring the file. You can catch me up on it AFTER we make sure you don't starve to death."

Terezi just blinks, blushing more than she wants and more than she would admit. Did he just…? She takes a moment to clear her head, then tries to respond. Right. Food. She quickly eats it, practically swallowing the nuggets whole in her embarrassment. "Right. Sorry. I tend to forget about food." She pops another three into her mouth, sliding out of the car. "Thish guy ish really in'eresh'ing." Swallow, Pyrope.

And ignore the date thing. She really hadn't expected that to come back and bite her in the ass. Damnit.

"So what's he killing for? Any similarities in living arrangements? Jobs? Relationships?" Karkat found himself feeling pretty smug about getting her to blush. He didn't even bother with trying to hide it, either. Shit man, he was on a roll today.

He had to remind himself to NOT blow it by doing a flying cartwheel out of his current 'smooth as fuck police-officer' mode. Maybe that'd be better achieved by actually paying attention and not letting himself get absorbed by his win.

"Both were, according to all sources, single, but this first woman… Her friends said they were worried. Apparently she had been acting odd for a while, and her apartment was only a few months old, too. Both had pretty high-end jobs, but the second had much better living arrangements. Though it's obvious she could have afforded better. Personal life wise, I can't seem to find a connection between the two…" She takes a break by grabbing a few more nuggets. Those are pretty much swallowed whole as well in her attempt to get some food into her stomach.

When was the last time she ate? She really had to keep better track of that. Fainting on the job was generally frowned upon.

"Then of course there's the whole deal with the stab marks." Right, okay, focus Pyrope. Listen to him, no matter how grating his voice can be. "I'm still waiting for the autopsy on victim number two to come in but unfortunately our only DECENT autopsy… ist… or whatever the hell they're called has been out so we're stuck with a group of incompetent baboons given a dead body and told to poke it with sharp objects. Basically we're probably not getting results on that shit until our other girl gets back from her little unannounced vacation. Maybe we COULD have gotten one of the officers to take a quick look if a nosey little PI who had been sniffing around the crime scene had let any of my damn officers get near the dead body to BEGIN with." He was sipping his soda casually, as if he hadn't just accused her of being a major player in them not being able to find anything.

She was busy eating more chicken nuggets, only half listening and completely tuning him out when he started to get all pissy about her. "Geezus fuck Terezi, forget to eat again or some shit like that?" His eyebrow was raised, part of him wondering how she could eat that fast and NOT choke. Another part was trying to fight back the concern that managed to slip into his voice.

"Hey! I was doing my job! Unlike you doughnut lovers, I actually have to _solve_ cases to get money. You guys just sit on your butts all day." She pops a few more nuggets, taking a sip of her soda. Well, at least it wasn't diet. If it was a diet soda, somebody would be dead. "And yes, I did. You know I always do that whenever it comes to a case." She glances over at him, flashing a grin. "Why? Does someone happen to care?"

"Now you're just throwing stereotypes at me. Doughnuts taste like shit! And actually we have a lot of really badass take-down missions!" He took a few of the nuggets and decided to drown them in barbecue sauce before popping them into his mouth. "Well you should at least make an EFFORT to remember to eat something so I don't have to keep buying you food all the damn time!"

He chose to ignore her last remark, deciding to just stretch out and- Wait. Have they just been standing here eating in the parking lot the _entire damn time_?

"Hey, are we going inside or what? It's freezing out here."

"Hehehe, what? Can't take a little cold?" Terezi nudges him playfully, giggling to herself before leading him up to her apartment/office. She had enough money to move her office somewhere _proper_, like an actual _office space_, but she was just too lazy. This was close and cozy and that's all that mattered. She grabs the door, holding it wide and grinning at him. "Babies first."

"It's not that I can't DEAL with the cold, it's that I don't LIKE it." He continues to grumble about how he isn't a baby and that he can deal with cold situations, shuffling inside and looking around.

"Yes, of _course_." She follows him in, grinning wide. "Just put the food on the table. I'll be right back, I gotta grab the second victim's file from my office." She shuts the door and makes sure it's locked before going to her 'office'. It's really just a side room, cluttered with files lying about messily. It only takes her a second to grab the right one, heading back over to him, lazily waving it. "See what you can find." She holds the file out for him, pretty much challenging him.

In the time it took her to go get the file, Karkat had seated himself at a fairly messy table, staring at what part of her office he could see. "How do you even find shit in here?! It's like you don't even TRY to stay organized." He didn't really care all that much, he was really just complaining for the sake of complaining.

To shut himself up before she went after him, he snatched the file and began to read.

But of course that doesn't work.

"I'm blind, genius. I can't exactly keep organized. Besides, each of these files has a distinct scent." She walks back over to him, leaving her office the way it was, and pats his head. He chooses to ignore that, not wanting to give her something to get off on. "Hehehe, thank you for the food, though! But really, try a little harder on our next date."

She grins and plops down across from him, popping a few more nuggets.

"Being blind has never stopped you before." Karkat was already busy scheming how he was going to get into her apartment to clean the entire place. And how she was going to NOT notice. The PI that apparently can sniff out any kind of discrepancy.

Yeah, that wasn't going to happen. It was TEREZI here. He'd know if he moved a chair an inch to the left.

Though it'd be pretty funny to watch her try and figure things out.

She'd definitely be confused as fuck.

"And I just think you're picky because this was a TOP NOTCH meal for a date. Five fucking stars. I gave the entire 100 fucking percent amount of effort on this." After that little rant, he continued to look through the file. The victims' parents could have some information… That'll go on his to-do list.

Terezi rolls her eyes, sipping some more of her soda as she 'watches' him. Her 'watching' is mainly blank staring, her dead eyes not even blinking. After a while of this, she decides to speak up. "Apparently you've never been on a date." To keep him from being able to go on some kind of rant about how he's been on plenty and other bullshit she'd never believe, she quickly changes the topic back to their case.

Which is what they're _supposed_ to be working on anyways. "But what do you think so far? Similarities? Differences? When is he likely to strike again?"

"For your information, Pyrope, I go on PLENTY of dates." Of course he was lying. He was never what ANYONE would consider a 'ladies' man'. That just wasn't how Karkat Vantas worked. He really couldn't stand people in general. And ASKING for a person to subject him to torture? Having to listen to their problems for hours on end? The very thought of it made him want to gag. And it took way less effort to just stay inside and avoid humanity.

So Terezi had been right about the rant, just most of it was mental. He didn't want to deal with whatever her insane response would be.

"The thing that's bugging me the most was the income. If that first one had money, where was it GOING? I think we need to contact the bank. There might have been an account linked to hers that the money could be transferring to. Considering there's only been two murders we don't know when or even IF he's going to strike again." Considering this a serial killer case was probably jumping the gun, now that he thought about it.

But whatever, he didn't think anything was official in the books yet.

"The first was two days ago so we'll give it until another few days to determine that. Also, did anyone talk to the asshole living above victim number two? Put him on the suspect list. It could be a start."

"Hehehe, roger!" Terezi takes the rest of the nuggets and stands, feeling pretty satisfied. Of course she could definitely eat more. One thing about being a Terezi was that you would never, ever be completely filled.

Ever.

It was pretty impossible. "I should have his number somewhere in my office… It must have fallen out of the file. Go ahead and call up the bank, let them know I need to smell all her records. Even before she moved back to that dinky little apartment." She didn't really want to admit it, but the way he dealt with things… It was impressive.

As much of an annoying pain as he could be, it was obvious he was a damn fine cop.

And no. Fine in only one way. And not in _that_ way.

Shut up.

Karkat already had his cell phone out and ready to call the bank, not noticing as Terezi disappears to go do… Whatever blind PIs did when on the phone with potential suspects. Or, at this point, maybe the prime suspect? For killing the second victim, at least.

Alright Vantas, let's see if this piece of shit wants to work. And it was a piece of shit. It wasn't a high-tech Android or iPhone or anything like that. It was a dial pad. One of the old fashioned ones with the nine key function being the only option.

His last (first and only) touch screen had pissed him off so much he threw it at the wall until it worked. He still maintains that it was the phone's fault it wasn't unlocking and not the fact that he couldn't remember the password.

The guy at the phone store had refused to sell him a new one once he saw the state of the previous one.

Remembering he had a _job_ he was supposed to be doing, he set to work on calling up the bank, leaning back and getting ready for a loud and shout happy argument with whatever retard picked up the phone.

Without really meaning to, his gaze went to Terezi, still on the phone and going through the usual dumbass processes people are always put through. Or is it just the cops and such they always put through hell? In any case, he was really starting to get uncomfortable with the amount of times he's looked over at her tonight.

Maybe calling this all a date WASN'T such a shitty idea.

After feeling his eyes on her yet again, Terezi takes a break from rifling through her office to look back at him, eyebrow quirked. After a second, she decides to mess with him a bit. How do you mess with the Sheriff? You wink at him. With her glasses sliding down her nose a bit, just enough shows for it to be obvious what she's doing. WITHOUT showing off her eyes. As much as she loves her blindness, her eyes… Well, that's a bit of a different thing for a different time.

Subconsciously, she's counting the number of times he's looked over at her since they split up, and the number makes a slight blush form on her cheeks. Alright, Pyrope, back to the files. Don't let him see a blush. Blush? What blush? There was no blush here.

Nopenopenope, just a private investigator looking for a number to call. Oh, hey, number. Where were you hiding, you little bitch?

Keeping her back to him, Terezi dials the 'friend', deciding the easiest way to get information was by 'inviting' him over to her place for a bit of 'comfort'. More often than not, they bought it.

Even if she _hadn't_ turned away, there was no way Karkat would've seen her blushing. He was too busy looking away, embarrassed at getting caught. _Shit. Shitshitshit._ His face was probably glowing at this point and the only thing going through his head was _how the fuck did she know_?! Had she known this _entire time_?! God DAMNIT.

He cursed under his breath, not getting _any_ of it. Everything about liking this chick seemed like a bad idea. Since the beginning they were nothing but rivals. No matter WHAT he did, she was always a step ahead. So how come he liked her so damn much?! It wasn't FAIR.

His inner ranting was quickly cut short by the guy on the phone clearing his throat. Right. Job to do. Get the information from the bank. Except he _couldn't_ because apparently things like this were confidential, even to the fucking Sheriff. The information Karkat _did_ manage to get out of the banker (it was all completely willing, no threatening involved at _all_) was extremely limited.

But he did manage to learn that victim number two's account had indeed been linked to another's. The first victim's account was on it's own, but apparently the day before the girl's murder a man had come in with her bank card and took out a certain sum of money. The same amount that was taken from number two's. Except he didn't know what that sum _was_ because a certain banker_ apparently couldn't even tell him that_.

That bit of information was pretty interesting, though.

Begrudgingly (and still _totally_ willingly) the banker agreed to email additional information about the second victim's account, and hopefully a name for the linked one. He doubted any of this was actually going to happen, but it was worth a shot.

And apparently the bank's security camera was shit, since it reset on a daily basis. Everything from the day before was recorded over. Basically it was a useless piece of shit. Maybe he should tell the banker that.

"Sounds like a useless piece of shit." Was that a click? Yeah, that was definitely the dial tone. Way to go, dumbass, the guy had hung up. Figuring calling back would be useless at this point, he just leaned back and looked out the window. Fuck, when did it get so late?

Oh well, maybe Terezi would have better luck. Since his great conversation was over, he tuned in to whatever she was talking about.

"Well, my condolences anyways. Thank you for giving me some information~ And if you ever feel like getting an update on the case, or if you think you know something, just call me back. Bye now~" God how she hated doing that. But the best part about the ploy being turned down? Getting to hang up and just glare at the phone. While that certainly helped her feel a bit better, it also meant she didn't get too much information.

Even with a lot of flirting, she hadn't gotten much information from the guy. Either he didn't know jack shit, or he was hiding something. It was probably the former, he didn't sound smart enough for the latter. Or smart in general.

"Tell me you got something!" She heads back to where Karkat was, doing her best to keep the annoyance out of her voice. It's a miserable failure. So instead she takes deep breaths to try and calm herself, tapping her cane to the table legs. No, she wasn't going to sit down. She was going to pace and tap at the table and make herself calm.

"The people who work there are asswipes. The most they gave me was that one of the victims was transferring money to another account on a frequent basis. There was nothing up with the other one besides the fact that apparently some guy had been going in and collecting money from it himself with her card. Are you sure her friends said she wasn't in a relationship? The bankers said they'd email me information about the account the other girl was transferring money to but I don't think they're going to do SHIT. We're on our own here. Maybe one of us could go there in person and see if they're anymore cooperative upfront." After a bit of a pause, in which Terezi is completely silent, he adds something else. "How about you? Is the guy still on our suspect list?"

Her response is to growl and plop into a chair. Their situation definitely wasn't good. The trail was getting colder and they were getting less and less information. "I have no idea. I think that guy is safe, he's just desperate to get laid is all. At least, I don't think he's likely to kill two girls. Doesn't sound like it." If the guy wasn't even able to get himself a proper girlfriend and learn how to actually talk on a phone, she may've still had some suspicion. It's tempting to slam her face onto the table. Very tempting. It's beckoning. It's calling to her. It'd be the perfect place for a few stress hits. Maybe a few groans of utter despair.

No, bad Pyrope. C'mon, resist! You still have other options to look at! Dead ends are completely normal! Usually later, though. This was probably the first time she'd hit a dead end just hours after starting a case.

"Yeah, let's just try an upfront approach. Maybe they'll give the blind PI some sympathy?"

"You don't come across as someone who needs sympathy." He had to respect her for the ways she dealt with the blindness. It was pretty damn impressive. He often forgot. It wasn't something he'd ever admit to her, though. Ever. "And just forget about the asshole, we can see if any of her other neighbors will be more helpful."

At the thought of putting on the show of being blind, Terezi's face split into a grin. She followed Karkat's words and forgot pretty much everything about the guy from the phone. Her mind was set on fooling the bankers with the blind girl thing. It'd be tricky, because too convincing would mean they wouldn't believe her just because she'd seem too weak to be a proper detective. Too unconvincing and it'd be obvious she was just playing and didn't really have any issues at all.

If it came down to it, she could always just remove the glasses. But she'd much rather avoid that. Too many awkward questions.

"Yeah, but they don't know that! I mean, I can pull off a _really_ good blind person act. Hehehe, haven't you seen before?" She lightly taps her foot to his shin, grinning. He probably didn't, since she's never really acted like a 'proper blind girl'. "And from what it sounds like, most of her friends _did_ live around her. I wonder why no one's said anything…"

"No, I haven't, because around me you're always just a sassy little shit." There was no real venom behind his words; it might have even been a joke. A little fed up with that shit eating grin of hers, he pushed her foot away. "Maybe someone told them not to talk."

She slowly nods, humor gone for the moment. Her grin dulls, then eventually turns into a small frown as she begins to think. "That's worrying… Especially if it's a serial killer case. That means any and all of them are at risk. If the killer finds any of them a liability, he _will_ kill them. Type or not." Not only was this guy a 'serial killer', but he was most likely one without a type. Anyone in his way had to die. Anyone he saw expendable would die.

Just great.

"So do we talk to them or not? If you're right and he finds out they said something, they're dead." Karkat was just as nervous as she was about this. Fuck, if they did _anything _wrong, there could be another death. There could be _several_ other deaths. Because of them. And that wasn't something that he wanted.

"We'll go through our other leads first, as limited as they are. I'm thinking that if the bank doesn't work, a trip to the first girl's apartment may work. If he really is OCD, then there's bound to be something to hint at… I don't know, _something_." She knows she sounds desperate and probably pretty crazy. But she _is_ desperate. And maybe crazy.

She's just completely frustrated already. Only a _few hours in_ and they're down to two leads. One of which is pretty much a dead end and the other one may be a literal dead end.

Maybe this was all just because she wasn't working on her own. Yeah, that was it. She didn't have the luxury of the peace and quiet and to work without having to listen to and deal with someone else.

Luxury?

Who was she kidding. She absolutely hated to work alone. It got too lonely too fast.

Taking note of her frustration, Karkat wanted to assure her that they'd be able to solve this. That she didn't have to worry and stress so much over it. As cheesy and clichéd as it sounded, he wanted nothing more than to pet her hair until that smile of hers was back.

Unfortunately, not only was Karkat _Karkat_ and therefore incapable of doing anything like that, but this was also Terezi. He had no idea as to how she'd react to something like that. For all he knew she would beat him into the ground with that cane that she _didn't need_. Damn piece of shit cane.

"Yeah, maybe he fucking cleaned her house or something." Real smooth, Vantas. Way to be sensitive. Dipshit. "Listen. If he's really that neat then this fuckass isn't going to leave shit for us to find. We can try the bank again, you can pull your blind girl routine, but we need to talk to those people. He might be just as interested in cutting off loose ends if he's as OCD as we think. I bet he's just waiting for the right time I don't think they'd be any more in danger than they were right now if we talked to them." Well that was just even better. He's good with words, can't you tell?

Terezi slowly nods, trying to not sink into her pit of despair. So no matter _what_ they did about the neighbors… They were pretty much dead if they didn't catch this guy. _Shit_. Why had she ever been interested by this case? Psychos were just that – _psychos_. They were psychotic. They'd kill innocent people just because they could. Because they were in their way.

"Alright… Sounds good." After a few seconds of recollecting herself, she manages to drag out some more energy. Just push aside the worry of innocent people being killed because of your questions. Come on, Pyrope. You can do this. "Lead the way to the car, Karkles! I'll clean up later."

Eh, she probably wasn't going to. Not unless he ended up coming over again. Which… Was actually pretty likely. Damn, looks like she'd have to clean. Sometime. Somehow.

Nah.

"It's getting kinda late, don't you think?" His head pretty heavy from all this too-serious talk and depressing outcomes no matter what they did, Karkat got up from his chair and went to go grab his jacket. Late or not, they still had to get things done. Especially if they were working to not only catch the killer but to also save several other people's lives. Because there wasn't a doubt in his mind that this guy was going to kill the loose ends.

_Fuck_.

"Eh, it should catch the bank people off guard." She shrugs and follows him out, pulling on her bright red jacket on the way. She absolutely loved this jacket. Karkat thought it was a hideous thing that should've never been created. But she didn't give a damn what he thought. "Either this is going to be an all-nighter, or we're going to pass out at-" She stops, suddenly seeming to realize something. "Are you going to spend the night?"


	3. Chapter 3

Karkat tensed up, not expecting that question. Of course it was going to happen, but he didn't think it'd be _now._ He was thinking he could somehow manage to make it back to his own place, maybe get stuck at her apartment some other night. "I wasn't really planning on it, those fucking little dragons you have everywhere creep me out." After a bit of rubbing his neck and debating, he figured there really wasn't any other option. Either spend the night at her place and deal with those freaky plushed things, or try to drive back to his own apartment in the dead of the night while only partially awake. "My place isn't very close by though, it would be easier. When does the bank even close?"

Terezi's first response? Near-insane laughing and tapping her cane against him. "I got two completely different answers there. I'm just going to take it to mean that yes, you really _are_ staying." Well he definitely wasn't getting a choice now. If she had to, she'd drag his ass back to her place and knock him out.

Except probably not literally since that could be considered assaulting an officer.

Not something she wants on a record.

"Hehehe, congrats. You're finally gonna spend the night at a chick's house." She flashes a wide grin at him, tapping his sides playfully. Lucky him, he'd get to deal with her morning shenanigans. He probably isn't going to enjoy that all too much. "And I'm pretty sure it'd still be open. Maybe closes midnight? What time is it?"

Completely ignoring her questions – for now – he goes straight for the jibe about him staying at a girl's place. "What do you mean by THAT? Are you implying that I've never been invited to stay the night by girls?" He got into his car and started it up, immediately blasting the heat. He did _not_ like the cold.

That was on his shit list, too.

"It's like nine pm." As his mind fully began to wrap around the fact that he was _staying the night_ at _Terezi's_ place, he gulped. What did he just manage to get himself into? She still scared the shit out of him. Sometimes. Maybe not as often as before, but enough to make sleeping at her place a little worrisome.

"Hehehe, looks like you got something! With you being you, I be you've never even had a proper girlfriend." She giggles and leans as if to pat his shoulder in a gesture of mock-comfort, then decides she'd rather just warm her hands up with the heater.

Wait, when did she get cold? Well whatever, it was warm and she wasn't going to lose that. "And we should have plenty of time. Now get driving!" She sends a grin over in his direction, shifting in her seat and nudging her shoulder against his.

Yes, that worked much better than having to make her poor fingers suffer in the cold.

"Yeah? What about you? What happened to Strider?" Ugh. Strider. The ONE person he hated in the entire world more than he hated himself. He grit his teeth as he pulled out of the apartment's parking lot, hands gripping the steering wheel tight enough to turn his knuckles pasty. Even mentioning that guy got him angry. He couldn't _stand_ Strider.

So his foot pressed down on the gas more than he probably should've, and he headed towards the bank. Hopefully they'd get there quickly. He regretted bringing him up. The sooner they were at the bank, the sooner this conversation would be over.

And the sooner he could get some proper heat, his current heater _sucked_. As much as he fucking adored his car, the heater was shit.

He needed to get that fixed.

Terezi blinks a few times, surprised he had brought up her old flame. She didn't really think about him all that often anymore. "Hehehe, coolkid? Or, well, not really a kid anymore, but you know what I mean. It's been a while since we talked, actually. I kind of miss him…" She trails off, pausing a little before continuing. "Maybe I'll send him an email after all this is over. Or call." A small smile makes it's way onto her face, and she allows herself some time to dwell on the past memories. They were fond memories. Sometimes she missed him.

"Nah, he's probably too busy. Why were you asking?" She turns her attention him, suppressing the urge to tease him. He was so jealous. Maybe. At least, it was tempting to tease him about being jealous. But he was driving. And she could smell the tense coming off him.

"No reason," Karkat huffed, regretting the decision to bring him up more and more by the second. He had spared a few glances over at her while she was talking, and she had looked so _happy_ thinking about that douchemunch. Well why wouldn't she be happy thinking about him? Dave had everything he didn't. He probably SMELLED better, too.

Whatever. Why should he care?

What was he kidding, he would ALWAYS fucking care. He pressed down on the gas more, catching himself shortly after and letting up on the pushing, slowing the car down. For once, he just wanted her to smile like that while thinking of him and NOT the wannabe hipster.

"Hehehe, calm down. We broke up a while ago, Kar. It just didn't work." She smiles softly at him, the thought of teasing him completely gone now. She just wasn't up to doing something like that. "They're good memories, yeah, but I mean who doesn't feel good when thinking back on happy memories?" She does her best to send a comforting smile, but it probably doesn't look all too 'comforting'. That wasn't one of her specialties.

Why she was so concerned about him not being upset, she didn't know.

Okay, no, she knew. She knew very well. But she didn't want to admit it.

There was no way she was going to.

"I didn't _SAY_ I was upset." He pressed down on the brakes harder than he should've as he pulled into the bank's parking lot. The lights were still on in the building, but it looked like they were close to closing time. There was only one more customer inside.

So much for staying open until midnight.

"You better just run in and take care of yourself, these fuckers hate me. It's actually pretty hilarious but I don't want to take any chances." As much as he would've liked to go inside and warm up _properly_, the case came first.

Fuck, he hoped she didn't take too long.

"Hehehe, try not to blow up thinking about Dave." Terezi grins wide, then leans over to flick a quick lick across his cheek before hopping out of his car, making sure to grab her cane on her way out. _Shit_ it was freezing out here.

She does a pretty good job of acting like a blind person, even if some was a LITTLE over-exaggerated. Like walking into that door.

Oh, wait. Shit, that wasn't part of the act. Damnit, Pyrope. That was a pull. Not a push.

Karkat had a good time watching her antics, snrking when she pretty much headbutted the door. At first he thought that was just her messing around, but the look of confusion and then mild horror told him that it was one hundred percent authentic Pyrope.

It takes her about half an hour, but finally she's out of the bank – fuck it had gotten even colder – looking pleased with herself but also pretty miffed. Keeping up the act all the way to the car, she took a few seconds to debate whether or not to tap it with her cane.

Nah.

She didn't really feel like giving Karkat another thing to complain about. He was so good at finding them on his own, there was no need to feed him more. "Alright! So they kind of bought the blind thing. And the lady was just tired and wanted to get this shit done with, so yeah. I got a few files. I've never been good at sniffing at banking records. I think it's because it involves numbers." Numbers did not like her.

Probably had a lot to do with the whole blind thing.

Karkat slowly opened an eye, watching her as she talked and got herself situated. Fuck, he had almost fallen asleep while waiting for her to get done in there. "What, you can't do numbers?" After a small moment of stretching to wake his muscles up, he snatched the file and flipped through it. "Did they give you the guy's name?"

"Yeah. And I gotta say, either he had shitty parents, a convincing argument, or the people just didn't care." He was certainly going to love this next part. She knows she did. "John Smith. That's what his name was." She gives him a small prod with her cane, snatching back the file and slipping it into the car door's pocket. "Try not to fall asleep on the way back to my place, alright?"

"Oh my fuck." He twitched. That was such a God fucking AWFUL name. "He could have at least TRIED to make up a clever alias. I was expecting more of this guy." Neglecting to promise about not falling asleep, he headed back towards Terezi's apartment. "Any last minute stops you want to make, Pyrope? Because I'm not getting up at fucking midnight to buy you some cherry flavored soda from halfway across the town." He probably wouldn't even _last_ that long. His brain was already telling him to get his ass to sleep because it was sick and tired of the shitty ass day.

It just wanted to turn off and forget about this whole ordeal.

Terezi gasps and clutches her chest, as if insulted by the very thought of not having cherry flavored soda. "Karkat! Of course I already have a supply! How _dare_ you question me! Now go on, get us back. I'm starting to feel drowsiness get to me as well." She rubs her temple in firm, slow circles, trying to figure out the name thing. Maybe he just didn't care when he gave the name? At the time, he might not've been thinking of a murder investigation. Or maybe he just didn't care at all? After all, an alias was still a fake name, no matter _what_ it was.

It still led to a dead end.

But she still had to think of all the possibilities, it was how her mind worked.

Too many possibilities.

Karkat grumbled under his breath the entire was back to her place, only able to spare her glances while sitting at a light. She looked deep in concentration again, but at least this time her nose wasn't pressed to the paper.

By the time they finally got back to her place, he was ready to pass out. It wasn't even that late, his day had just been ridiculous. Completely and utterly _ridiculous_. Oh well, at least it was ridiculousness with her and not some asswipe from the station.

Carefully, he elbowed her. Who knew what a Terezi was like when exhausted? "I swear to God Terezi, if you fell asleep I am NOT carrying your blind ass inside."

Her response is to lazily wave the air in his general direction, swatting at him. Then her free hand undoes her belt and opens the door, letting her pretty much tumble out of the car into the cold night. At least the blast of cold wakes her up. "Right! Let's get our asses inside. And you are going straight to sleep. I've got a few more things I want straightened out before I pass out."

After (im)patiently waiting for him to get his ass out of the car, she drags him inside and upstairs. Almost literally, with how slow and sluggish he was being. At least she was SOMEWHAT awake, he seemed to have given up the moment he parked. Once in her room, she pushes him onto her bed. "Get some sleep, Mr. Sheriff. We'll deal with the bank stuff later. Maybe an email will have come through with something."

Karkat had barely heard her. He was too busy blinking and trying to figure out what the hell had just happened. Then he shook his head and gave up, flopping to his side and kicking off his shoes. He lied on her bed for a few minutes before realizing he was _lying on her bed_.

Holy shit.

Holy SHIT.

How did THIS happen?

The red alarm in his head was flashing. What the FUCK was he supposed to do in this situation?!

Before he could figure anything out, Karkat passed out. Consciousness and the problem and the case slipping away as he sunk into the darkness.

Terezi spent another fifteen minutes cleaning up their 'dinner' and getting things set out for their case. They were going to have a lot to do tomorrow. Mainly because with so few leads, they couldn't afford to miss anything.

Once done with that, she tosses a blanket onto Karkat and passes out on the couch, curled into a tight Terezi-ball.


End file.
